1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a riser assembly which provides increased elevation for a chair having a base normally positioned on a floor surface, and permits a standing individual serving a person in the chair to reduce the stress and fatigue associated with standing for prolonged periods of time.
The invention thus is particularly suited for use with chairs for barbering, dermatological, optometric, and similar services.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the provision of barbering, manicuring, dermatological, optometric, and similar services, the service typically is rendered by a standing person to a seated subject. In these businesses, it is common practice for the individual service provider to stand for the major portion, if not all, of a working day, and such individuals thus experience considerable physiological stress and fatigue, particularly in the back region and lower extremities.
In many instances, the aforementioned difficulties are exacerated when the standing person is of above average height, even with the provision of elevator means in barber and similar chairs which enable the seated person to be raised or lowered to a selected height. The tall barber or hairdresser thus is compelled to slump and assume a posture suitable for access to the seated subject, which frequently results in serious distress to the spinal area and back muscles, particularly in the lumbar region.
Relative to the footrest feature of the invention, the relevant art includes the adjustable foot support disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,767 to J. F. Hampshire, et al. The foot support of this patent has a unitary construction, and includes a platform on which the user's feet are positionable, with a base supporting the platform. The base features an upwardly extending bracket assembly with a plurality of stepped channels, which selectively cooperate with a downwardly extending leg from the platform, so that the platform is selectively positionable in an inclined position with respect to the base.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a riser assembly, for a chair of a type normally reposed on a floor surface on a chair base, which facilitates the necessary elevation of the sitting subject when the height provided by the conventional chair, either with or without elevator features, presents an inadequate height to the standing person serving the seated individual.
It is another object of the invention to provide a riser assembly of the aforementioned type, which may be provided with a footrest structure permitting the weight of the standing person to be shifted to reduce spinal distress and fatigue of the back and legs caused by prolonged standing.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a riser assembly as described above, which is easily fabricated and readily applied to existing hairdressing and barber chairs, and the like.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the ensuing disclosure and appended claims.